classes

'Anyone who is looking to become more specific, flexible, grounded and playful performer should give themselves the gift of clown training with Toomey. It has been one of the single most influential components of my education as an actor.' ​-ANDRUS NICHOLS, Elliot Norton Award Winning Actor for Saint Joan with Bedlam Theatre

'Michael Toomey and Andrew Borthwick Leslie are transformational teachers deeply committed to and successful in creating experiences that inspire and train artists in a way that serves both our profession and our world.  They have deeply affected who I am as an artists as well as several of my students.  I am working to bring them and the Humanist Project to my full ensemble of artists as often as I can.'- REBECCA KEMPER-GOODHEART, Artistic Director, Elm Shakespeare

The Humanist Approach to acting
With Andrew Borthwick-Leslie
and Michael Toomey 

Coming Soon!

8 weeks of Actor Training in NYC
An Acting Class with Andrew Borthwick-Leslie and Michael F. Toomey

Nothing that is Human is alien to me- Terrence

Incorporating the full Human experience into our Work, Play, Life and Art

This class will examine the individual moments of storytelling in the Artist’s work to discover whether breath, body, thought and impulse are fully present. Through classical and contemporary speeches we will focus on how the Artist can discover, pare down, and articulate the story that they carry with them in performance.
Through text work the Artists will learn to develop and hone the skills necessary to bring all aspects of their self to their performance.

This project will explore the questions:

- Are all the elements of the Artists’ spirit present in their play and how can they be more fully integrated?

- What are the stories we unconsciously carry with us and how could bringing those stories to our play invigorate our craft?

- What effect does living and working in New York City have on the Artists’ mindset?

- What new customs can we create to help us become a more integrated Artist in our play, movement and text?

- What would it mean to apply the Artist’s mindset to life in all its aspects?


Cost
$425 A non-refundable payment is due on the first day of class.

Space is limited so reserve your place today.
Please send your request to Thehumanistproject@gmail.com

For those with limited resources it may be possible to set up payment plans. Contact Amanda Roberts at Thehumanistproject@gmail.com for more information.

(We turned people away last fall and spring, and this class will fill quickly. In order to assure a complete experience for the artists, we want to have a group that is balanced in demographics, so it may not be ‘first come first serve’. We will however, give preference to early responders.)

Artist Bios:
Andrew Borthwick-Leslie is a member of Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox, MA where he has taught, directed and acted for twenty years. He has taught acting and voice at the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, Emerson College, DeSales University and the University of Maryland among others. Andrew has run workshops for the Center for Renaissance Studies, the American Bar Association, the New England Homeless Veterans shelter and many more. He has directed, devised, or assisted on over fifty productions -from Cymbeline to Perestroika. Most recently he directed Double Falsehood for Letter of Marque Theatre Company at Iron Dale and Merchant of Venice for the Shakespeare Forum. He lives happily Brooklyn.

Michael F. Toomey has been a member of the nationally acclaimed Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA since 1998, where he is an actor, director, and faculty member. He is a founding member and trustee of Split Knuckle Theatre, which devises new works of theatre and is currently touring throughout the world with recent performances in Bangkok, Athens and Paris. For the last three years Michael has been a Visiting Assistant Professor at Binghamton University teaching Clown, Shakespeare and Fight. Michael teaches workshops for professional actors in Fight, Clown and Shakespeare around the country and abroad. He has directed, devised or choreographed numerous shows including Julius Caesar and Alice In Wonderland and has performed throughout the East coast and internationally including roles such as Macbeth, Scapin, and Polonius. He is a graduate from LISPA (London International School of Performing Arts) and holds an MFA in Lecoq-based actor created theatre from Naropa University.

 clown Training
​with Michael toomey

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS!

Clown with Michael F. Toomey.

Fall Clown Class in  New York City
Every Tuesday for 10 weeks of extensive clown training.

Space is limited so apply today by sending an email to
Thehumanistproject@gmail.com

We are all born funny. We come into the world with something unique, something off-balance. It's what drives your loved ones mad or makes them fall in love with you. It is the most intimate part of ourselves, it is why we get back up when we fall down. It's what makes us most Human, it's what makes us poetic. Physically, Emotionally, Spiritually..... Ecumenically.

It is the Clown.

The question is not "do we each have a clown?" or "can you find your clown?" The question is how much of yourself are you willing to reveal today--and celebrate in a very public way?

Throughout history, the Clown has played a vital role in our communities. Cross-culturally, the Clown has been looked to in order to reveal what is most human about us all and asks us to laugh about it. Over these 3 days, actors will explore what is most human about themselves--revealing it and celebrate it publicly. This is a class in Clowning, an exploration of the Red Nose, Play, Complicity and how each of these are vital to the actor's training. Being funny is not a requirement.

Don't Miss Out on this exciting new opportunity!

3 hours each class
Tuesday
Time 7-10
Oct 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
November 5, 12, 19, 26,
Dec 3
ART south oxford space
138 south Oxford st
Brooklyn NY 11217

Cost
$450
A non-refundable payment is due on the first day of class.

Space is limited so apply today by sending an email to
Thehumanistproject@gmail.com

Michael F. Toomey has been a member of the nationally acclaimed Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA since 1998, where he is an actor, director, and faculty member. He is a founding member and trustee of Split Knuckle Theatre, which devises new works of theatre and is currently touring throughout the world with recent performances in Bangkok, Athens and Paris. Michael has been a Visiting Assistant Professor at Binghamton University teaching Clown, Shakespeare and Fight. Michael teaches workshops for professional actors in Fight, Clown and Shakespeare around the country and abroad. He has directed, devised or choreographed numerous shows including Julius Caesar and Alice In Wonderland and has performed throughout the East coast and internationally including roles such as Macbeth, Scapin, and Polonius. He is a graduate from LISPA (London International School of Performing Arts) and holds an MFA in Lecoq-based actor created theatre from Naropa University. Michael has studied with clown masters such as Jane Nichols Kevin G. Coleman, Giovanni Fusetti and Philippe Gaulier

what people are saying about the humanist project classes

​'For me, acting requires an honest connection with my true self, with all the parts of myself I ignore, push away, and/or refuse to acknowledge in the day to day. Perhaps it's self-preservation in such a big city and competitive industry. The Humanist Project's approach starts with the actor as a person, who he is first and foremost and builds from there using his life experiences as the canvas on which to paint. My training with Michael and Andrew has been invaluable, especially since moving to New York, where this sense of self-preservation can so easily overwhelm an actors journey for truth. The Humanist Project has continually brought me back to the essentials and joy of acting, for this I am very grateful.' - PAUL-EMILE CENDRON, Actor, The Judge

'The Humanist Project is my favorite place to play, grow & experiment as an artist in NYC! If you're looking for a fun, nurturing & explorative environment to learn, take any of Michael & Andrew's class offerings (& any of their guests as well!)' -EMILY VERE NICOLL, Actor, She Stoops to Conquer

'​These two teachers, Michael Toomey and Andrew Borthwick Leslie, are inventive, freeing and touched with a genius of teaching non-judgmentally. Working with each of them has been freeing, inspiring and eye-opening! I cannot recommend them too highly.' -DENNIS KRAUSNICK, Director of Training, Shakespeare & Company

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